Editing Joseph B. Soloveitchik (section)

===Relations with Agudath Israel===
After Soloveitchik left Agudath Israel, the organization's leadership was mostly quiet when it came to public statements involving Soloveitchik. [[Moshe Feinstein]], who was Soloveitchik's cousin, maintained very warm and profoundly respectful relations with him. They corresponded and spoke (at least) on the eve of every Jewish holiday. [[Yitzchak Hutner]] referred to him as a "[[gadol]]" (a foremost Torah scholar of the time).<ref>[http://media.www.yucommentator.com/media/storage/paper652/news/2005/05/16/Yudaica/Looking.Before.And.After-951249.shtml Looking Before and After – YUdaica<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007085030/http://media.www.yucommentator.com/media/storage/paper652/news/2005/05/16/Yudaica/Looking.Before.And.After-951249.shtml |date=2007-10-07 }}</ref> [[Aaron Kotler]], whose public policy in relation to American Jewry was far more right-wing than Soloveitchik's, was introduced by Soloveitchik at a Chinuch Atzmai dinner,<ref>"Memorable Encounters" by [[Joseph Kaminetsky]]</ref> and this later became famous as an instance of unity among the Orthodox leadership. Agudath Israel's mouthpiece, the ''Jewish Observer'', also mentioned Soloveitchik as one of the greatest rabbis of the generation when detailing a cable which was sent by various leading Rabbis to former Israeli Prime Minister [[Levi Eshkol]] requesting the government to put a stop to Christian missionary activity in Israel. In May 1993, [[Nisson Wolpin]] penned an obituary for Soloveitchik in the ''Jewish Observer''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6347/1075/1600/rybs_jo.jpg|title=Photos&.blogger.com}}</ref> The article was criticized for being a mere page long as instead of the ''Jewish Observer's'' usually comparatively long obituaries, for the obituary not being mentioned in the table of contents, and portraying Soloveitchik as not clarifying his views enough. [[Moshe David Tendler]], a son-in-law of Moshe Feinstein, wrote a scathing attack on Wolpin's piece, which was published both in The Community Synagogue of Monsey's newsletter and the ''[[Algemeiner Journal]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://masliah.googlepages.com/RYBSJO.bmp|title=Rabbi Tendler's "Open Letter to the Moetzes of Agudas Yisrael"|access-date=2007-08-06|archive-date=2009-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320185417/http://masliah.googlepages.com/RYBSJO.bmp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Soloveitchik did not sign Feinstein's proposed ban on interfaith dialogue. Instead, he published a path-breaking essay expounding his views on the subject, entitled "Confrontation." He also did not sign the ban by America's foremost rabbis against participating in the Synagogue Council of America. It has been debated whether his refusal to sign was because he believed in participating in the SCA, or because he was not happy with the way the ban was instituted.<ref>[http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/center/conferences/soloveitchik/Cunningham_23Nov03.htm Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik on Interreligious Dialogue ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119154056/http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/center/conferences/soloveitchik/Cunningham_23Nov03.htm |date=2008-11-19 }}</ref>

Despite the Agudah's comparative silence on Soloveitchik and his stances, the ''Jewish Observer'' has often criticized the [[Rabbinical Council of America]] in which he served and his more modern students, including Rabbi [[Norman Lamm]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://israelvisit.co.il/top/ll8.shtml|title=Let's Learn -- Vol. I, No. 8|website=israelvisit.co.il}}</ref> [[Shlomo Riskin]]<ref>"Approaching the Avos—Through Up-Reach or Drag-Down," March 1991.</ref> and Lawrence Kaplan.<ref>"Two Letters and a Response" by Lawrence Kaplan and the Novominsker Rebbe.</ref>